HSU LIBRARY NEWSLETTER 1996/1997 Vol. 2 INTERNET A LA CARTE This spring the Library is offering seven sessions demonstrating key electronic World Wide Web Resources in six subject areas through Continuing Education. The presentations are being taught in a computer lab to facilitate hands-on experience surfing the net in these subject areas. Each session is freestanding or you may choose to attend all seven for an in-depth introduction to some of the many resources available via the World Wide Web. The sessions start on April 1 and meet each week in Science D 017 lab from 7:00-8:30 p.m. Class size is limited and preregistration is required. There is a $5.00 per session fee. April 1 is the "Basics of Netscape and the Web" (Corryn Crosby-Muilenburg); April 8 is "Meeting Uncle Sam in Cyberspace: Government Information on the Internet" (Ray Wang); April 15 is "Discovering Data on the Internet: Sources of Geospatial and Numeric Data in the Natural Resources and Sciences" (Bob Sathrum); April 22 is "Mind Your Own Business: Small Business Sources on the Web" (Sharmon Kenyon); April 29 is "Virtual culture: Art, Music, Books, and Theatre on the World Wide Web" (Martha Johansen); May 6 is "Kid Stuff : Internet Sites for Children (and Their Families)" (Mary H. Kay); May 13 is "Education Sources on the Internet" (Joan Berman). DROP-IN TUTORIALS We are once again offering drop-in tutorials where you can learn about how to search any of our electronic databases as well as how to search for information on the Internet. These sessions are offered twice a week and focus on whatever the attendees are interested in learning about these topics. The days are Mondays from 2-3 p.m. in Library 310 and Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. in SH 119. Since the classes are in computer labs, you will have a chance for hands-on learning. No pre-registration is necessary. POINT OF ORIGIN CABLECAST Media Services has extended its distance learning services for the spring semester. Presently, Media Services provides assistance for the following courses which broadcast on Cox Cable Channel 12: Management 315 Tuesday and Thursday 12:30-2:00 p.m., live broadcast Management 315 Monday 9:00-11:00 p.m., taped broadcast Journalism 490 Tuesday 6:30-7:00 p.m., live broadcast Journalism 490 Tuesday 9:00-9:30 p.m. and 11:00-11:30 p.m., taped broadcast Nursing 480 Monday 7:00-9:00 p.m., taped broadcast As a community service, on Sundays, Media Services broadcasts live a program entitled "Doc in the Box." The program offers health and medical advice to audiences and is sponsored by the Nursing Department and local medical service providers. Also, in recognition of women, on Sundays, starting March 16 through June 15, Media Services airs a series of programs called "Community Voices." These programs are sponsored by Political Science Department and Humboldt County Commission on the Statues of Women. For detailed information, visit our site: http://library.humboldt.edu/media/cablecast.htm. In cooperation with other CSU campuses, Media Services provides a facility to offer courses to HSU students. During the spring semester, the following courses are offered: Nurse Practitioner program with Sonoma State University Master's program in Social Work with Long Beach State University Sport Medicine program with San Francisco State University SPOTLIGHT ON THE FUTURE -- THE HSU LIBRARY ELECTRONIC RESERVE SYSTEM Since the Spring 1996 semester, Library staff have been working with a number of the teaching faculty to develop an Electronic Reserve System (ERS), in an effort to provide Web access to course reserve materials via the Library/Media Services home page (http://library.humboldt.edu). Although this project remains in the pilot stage of development as we continue to tackle myriad technical and logistical issues, we have done our best to accommodate the needs of faculty members who have expressed an interest in participating in the program. To date, we have created 62 ERS documents for 12 faculty members, serving a potential user population of 995 students enrolled in 20 courses across all three colleges. The original ERS model was developed around the use of the Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF), which creates and retains an electronic image of the source material. Acrobat Reader client software, freely available from the Adobe Web site, is required for use of PDF documents. Based upon feedback received from ERS pilot participants, faculty and students alike, we have been making modifications to the ERS model this year to better serve campus needs. Some of the issues being addressed include large documents with lengthy download times, poor on-screen readability, and limited campus access to the Acrobat Reader viewing software. To help address these concerns, the Library has been exploring the use of OCR- to-HTML conversion software as an alternative online format for ERS documents. HTML documents offer a number of advantages over PDF, including smaller file size, faster downloading, and good on-screen readability. Additionally, the documents may be accessed using virtually any Web browser with no need for proprietary viewing software. On the downside, HTML documents take substantially longer to create than do the PDF documents, due largely to amount of time required to proofread each document and correct errors introduced by the conversion software. Recognizing that each approach has advantages for handling certain types of materials, the Library will continue to offer both HTML and PDF options for the ERS file formats. With that in mind, we have upgraded our Adobe Acrobat software to version 3.0, which enables a user to begin reading a PDF document while it is still downloading. To expedite the handling of ERS documents and improve turnaround time, the Library is purchasing a second high-end personal computer and a higher quality scanner for use by the Reserves staff. This hardware, which is expected to be in place later this semester, will be used to digitize and process incoming ERS materials. We appreciate the efforts of those faculty and students who, through their active participation, have been assisting in the development of the ERS. Faculty wishing to learn more about the Electronic Reserve System are invited to access the Reserve Book Room/Electronic Reserves link on the Library Services home page, send an e-mail inquiry to ereserve@library.humboldt.edu, or call the Reserve Office at Extension 4401. RESERVATIONS NOW BEING TAKEN FOR THIRD FLOOR STUDY ROOMS On February 10 the Library's Circulation Department began accepting and coordinating reservations for the four study rooms, L311 to L314, which are located on the third floor between the Faculty Development Office and the Interdisciplinary Microcomputer Lab. Hourly signup sheets for the current day are on clipboards fastened to the wall outside each room. Above each clipboard is a "Usage Priority" sign which briefly explains reservation rules and procedures. To facilitate advance bookings, there is a self-service binder on the Circulation Desk counter which contains a reservation sheet for each room for each remaining day of the semester. Reservations may be made for a maximum of two hours per day per group. Groups reserving study rooms may be either formally organized or informally self-constituted. Use of these study rooms may be for any purpose which is compatible with Library functions and does not interfere with normal Library operations.
Last Updated: Apr. 28, 1997